solution web-ui high macos linux windows

Control UI: disconnected (1008): device identity required (HTTP / insecure context)

Fix Control UI failures caused by opening the dashboard over plain HTTP on a remote host. Use HTTPS or local access first; treat remote plain HTTP as an advanced documented exception.

By CoClaw Team •

Symptoms

  • Control UI disconnects with:
    • “disconnected (1008): device identity required”
  • This commonly happens when you open the dashboard via:
    • http://<lan-ip>:18789/
    • http://<tailscale-ip>:18789/

Cause

On remote plain HTTP, many browsers run in a non-secure context and block WebCrypto. OpenClaw uses WebCrypto to establish device identity for Control UI auth/pairing, so the gateway rejects the connection.

Fix

Expose the Control UI via HTTPS (for example, using Tailscale Serve), then open the HTTPS URL. If the gateway requires a token, generate a fresh dashboard entrypoint on the gateway host:

openclaw dashboard

2) Or open locally via an SSH tunnel

Tunnel the port and open the UI locally:

ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 user@host

Then open:

  • http://127.0.0.1:18789/

3) If you must use remote plain HTTP (advanced)

Treat this as an exception for a controlled network path, not the normal remote-dashboard route. Use the current Control UI auth guide for the exact option on your installed version, and prefer a tokenized link plus loopback/tunnel access when possible.

Verify

  • The Control UI connects and stays connected.
  • The disconnect message no longer appears.

Verification & references

  • Reviewed by:CoClaw Code Team
  • Last reviewed:March 14, 2026
  • Verified on: macOS · Linux · Windows

References

Official docs

  1. OpenClaw docs: /gateway/troubleshooting
  2. OpenClaw docs: /web/control-ui
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